Charm of the Carolinestag:typepad.com,2003:weblog-18752292018-03-14T20:11:31-05:00Official source for charmed, magnolia-scented living in middle TennesseeTypePadColcannontag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a01156faa621f970c01bb09fb83c0970d2018-03-14T20:11:31-05:002018-03-14T20:11:32-05:00Continuing my research of Irish recipes I ran across this interesting one for Colcannon. I've never heard of it before, but it doesn't look too difficult or fancy. It's made from hearty, stick-to-your-ribs potatoes, cabbage, leeks or onions and a bit of bacon. Colcannon can be a main entrée or a side dish. Colcannon Ingredients 2 1/2 pounds potatoes, peeled and cubed 4 slices bacon 1/2 small head cabbage, chopped 1 large leek white, chopped 1/2 cup milk 1/4 cup butter, melted salt and pepper to taste Place potatoes in a saucepan with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, until tender. Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, reserving drippings, crumble and set aside. In the reserved drippings, sauté the cabbage and onion until soft and translucent. Putting a lid on the...Susan

Continuing my research of Irish recipes I ran across this interesting one for Colcannon. I've never heard of it before, but it doesn't look too difficult or fancy. It's made from hearty, stick-to-your-ribs potatoes, cabbage, leeks or onions and a bit of bacon. Colcannon can be a main entrée or a side dish.

Colcannon

Ingredients

2 1/2 pounds potatoes, peeled and cubed

4 slices bacon

1/2 small head cabbage, chopped

1 large leek white, chopped

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup butter, melted

salt and pepper to taste

Place potatoes in a saucepan with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, until tender.

Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, reserving drippings, crumble and set aside.

In the reserved drippings, sauté the cabbage and onion until soft and translucent. Putting a lid on the pan helps the vegetables cook faster.

Drain the cooked potatoes, mash with milk and season with salt and pepper.

Fold in the bacon, cabbage, and onions, then transfer the mixture to a large serving bowl. Make a well in the center, and pour in the melted butter. Serve immediately

From food historian Brenda Hyde of the Harvest Moon Gazette...

Colcannon is traditionally made on All Saints Day or Halloween and some families would leave out a plate of it, with a lump of butter in the center, for the fairies and the ghosts. There is even a traditional Irish song that was written long ago about colcannon that you can sing while preparing it!

Did you ever eat colcannon

When 'twas made with yellow cream

And the kale and praties blended

Like the picture in a dream?

Did you ever take a forkful

And dip it in the lake

Of heather-flavored butter

That your mother used to make?

Oh, you did, yes you did!

So did he and so did I,

And the more I think about it

Sure, the more I want to cry.

God be with the happy times

When trouble we had not,

And our mothers made Colcannon

In the little three-legged pot.

The little, three-legged pot was known as a Bastable oven, which looked a little like a cauldron with a lid that was put over a fire and used as an oven to bake bread and other dishes.

Traditional charms were put in the colcannon that symbolized different things. A button meant you would remain a bachelor and a thimble meant you would remain a spinster for the coming year. A ring meant you would get married and a coin meant you would come into wealth.three-legged pot

Irish Soda Breadtag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a01156faa621f970c01bb09f96f7c970d2018-03-12T16:47:37-05:002018-03-12T16:47:38-05:00I've really enjoyed working on my family's genealogy and learning about our Scots-Irish roots. I wish I had known this when my grandparents were living to learn any history or stories or recipes that come from that region. As it is I'm left to do my own research. Last week I made Corned Beef and Cabbage. Today I tried my hand at Irish Soda Bread. It was much easier than I anticipated. From Wikipedia, I learned, "Soda bread is a variety of quick bread traditionally made in a variety of cuisines in which sodium bicarbonate is used as a leavening agent instead of the traditional yeast. The ingredients of traditional soda bread are flour, baking soda, salt, and buttermilk. The buttermilk in the dough contains lactic acid, which reacts with the baking soda to form tiny bubbles of carbon dioxide. Other ingredients can be added such as butter, egg, raisins,...Susan

I've really enjoyed working on my family's genealogy and learning about our Scots-Irish roots. I wish I had known this when my grandparents were living to learn any history or stories or recipes that come from that region. As it is I'm left to do my own research.

Last week I made Corned Beef and Cabbage. Today I tried my hand at Irish Soda Bread. It was much easier than I anticipated. From Wikipedia, I learned,

"Soda bread is a variety of quick bread traditionally made in a variety of cuisines in which sodium bicarbonate is used as a leavening agent instead of the traditional yeast. The ingredients of traditional soda bread are flour, baking soda, salt, and buttermilk. The buttermilk in the dough contains lactic acid, which reacts with the baking soda to form tiny bubbles of carbon dioxide. Other ingredients can be added such as butter, egg, raisins, or nuts. An advantage of quick breads is their ability to be prepared quickly and reliably, without requiring the time-consuming skilled labor and temperature control needed for traditional yeast breads."

Turn dough onto a lightly floured work surface and fold it over onto itself two or three times, shaping it into a round, 8-inch loaf. Transfer loaf to a greased baking sheet or one lined with parchment.

Score an "X" on the top of the dough.

Bake 45 minutes, until well-browned. Remove to your favorite Irish Tea Towel to cool completely before slicing, if you can wait that long.

Serve with butter and your favorite jam or preserves.

Corned Beef and Cabbagetag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a01156faa621f970c01b7c9556d09970b2018-03-04T18:06:05-06:002018-03-04T18:06:05-06:00March has never been my favorite month. My friend Carol challenged me to find at least one thing every day in March that I love. She says God loves March, that's why he created it. I just need to look harder. I'm enjoying my search. In the 1970s my Dad researched his genealogy and gave his research to me. I've spent the last year researching my Mom's side. Additionally I purchased the DNA kit from Ancestry.com and was thrilled to see the DNA corroborated the research. Although we have ancestors from all over western Europe and Scandinavia, a large number are Scots-Irish. It may not be St. Patrick's Day yet, but I'm excited about celebrating my Irish roots this year and have gotten a jump on the celebrations by making Corned Beef and Cabbage. Corned Beef and Cabbage is not hard to make. I never even attempted it before last...Susan

March has never been my favorite month. My friend Carol challenged me to find at least one thing every day in March that I love. She says God loves March, that's why he created it. I just need to look harder.

I'm enjoying my search.

In the 1970s my Dad researched his genealogy and gave his research to me. I've spent the last year researching my Mom's side. Additionally I purchased the DNA kit from Ancestry.com and was thrilled to see the DNA corroborated the research. Although we have ancestors from all over western Europe and Scandinavia, a large number are Scots-Irish.

It may not be St. Patrick's Day yet, but I'm excited about celebrating my Irish roots this year and have gotten a jump on the celebrations by making Corned Beef and Cabbage.

Corned Beef and Cabbage is not hard to make. I never even attempted it before last year because it seemed so mysterious.

Corned Beef and Cabbage

3 lb corned beef brisket with spice packet

small potatoes

3 leeks

1 small head of cabbage

carrots (optional)

In a large Dutch Oven, add the brisket and contents of the spice packet. Cover with water and simmer over medium heat for an hour and a half to two hours.

Since there aren't many spices, I just pour them right into the pot. If you want to add additional pickling spices or your want to be able to pull them out before serving, I recommend using a large infuser ball that simply hangs on the side of the pot.

Clean and chop veggies into big, rough chunks. I had carrots in the fridge, but forget to get them out. I love adding the color carrots bring to the dish.

Add to the pot on top of the brisket that has been cooking for an hour and half to two hours. Continue cooking with the veggies for an additional half hour to hour, until the veggies are tender.

Pull the brisket out of the pot and let it sit for 10 - 15 minutes on a carving board. Insert meat thermometer and make sure it reads 170* or more.

Slice meat against the grain so that it doesn't become stringy. Serve with veggies, Irish Soda Bread, and condiments of hot mustard or horseradish.

Bodacious Alabama Boy Baittag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a01156faa621f970c01b7c95376ee970b2018-02-26T19:44:52-06:002018-02-26T19:45:34-06:00My beautiful friend Judy is a loving and dutiful wife to her husband who is feeling quite under the weather. What started as an aching back turned out to be "the disease which shall not be named" after several doctors visits. Words are powerful. So I will never give the disease more power by speaking its name aloud. But Love is more powerful. Comfort food made by the loving hands of caring friends is powerful. Prayer is Powerful. And God Almighty is Omnipotent and is Pure Light and Pure Love. He's got this. All I have to do is say the prayer and bake the comfort food. So Tuesday evening, Judy and her sweetie will be dining on homemade Turnip Greens Soup, French Baguette, and a special dessert for her Decatur-born husband, Bodacious Alabama Boy Bait. r Bodacious Alabama Boy Bait To be completely transparent, my recipe was strongly inspired...Susan

My beautiful friend Judy is a loving and dutiful wife to her husband who is feeling quite under the weather. What started as an aching back turned out to be "the disease which shall not be named" after several doctors visits.

Words are powerful. So I will never give the disease more power by speaking its name aloud.

But Love is more powerful. Comfort food made by the loving hands of caring friends is powerful. Prayer is Powerful. And God Almighty is Omnipotent and is Pure Light and Pure Love. He's got this. All I have to do is say the prayer and bake the comfort food.

So Tuesday evening, Judy and her sweetie will be dining on homemade Turnip Greens Soup, French Baguette, and a special dessert for her Decatur-born husband, Bodacious Alabama Boy Bait.

r

Bodacious Alabama Boy Bait

To be completely transparent, my recipe was strongly inspired by the vintage recipe of the 15-year-old Chicago teen named Renny Powell. In 1954 she submitted a blueberry coffee cake recipe to the Pillsbury $100,000 Recipe & Baking Contest (precursor to today’s Pillsbury Bake-Off) and took second place in the youth division. It was named in honor of its powers with the opposite sex. Her Blueberry Boy Bait recipe has been in circulation ever since, however I've added my Southern Lovin' Spin on it.

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon table salt

1 and half sticks melted butter, plus more for greasing the baking dish

1 cup milk

2 large eggs

3 cups fresh blueberries, preferably hand-picked in season

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350° and butter a 9x13-inch baking pan.

n a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, 1 cup of sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the melted butter, milk, and eggs. Mix with an electric mixer for 3 minutes. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, then evenly sprinkle the blueberries on top.

In a small bowl, combine the remaining 3 tablespoons of sugar and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, then sprinkle over the blueberries.Bake until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 50 minutes. So take seat and smell the wonderful goodness of sugar and cinnamon baking in the oven.

It's worth the effort and worth the wait.

And it's full of love and light and powerful goodness for my sick buddy. Join me in saying a quick pray for his full and speedy recovery.

It's a wintery day. Ice. Sleet. Freezing Rain. Snow. So of course I don't want to make matter worse by attempting to drive. It's simply a good day to stay home, paint, and cook. And what would taste better than Lentil and Ham Soup?

Remove the ham bone and set aside to cool. Since I used Jowl instead of ham bone, I removed the meat from the pot and allowed it to cool. I cut what little meat there was from the fat, chopped it, and added it back to the soup.

I fried the remainder, cut into very small pieces and will use it as dog treats. Next time I make this soup, I'll simply purchase diced ham.